Deciphering the HDM World
by E.C.Florek
Summary: A file with all my essays, published and oncoming.
1. What makes them so special?

What makes them so special?

by E. C. Florek

What makes them so special? Let me be clearer: what makes Lyra and Will's relationship so extraordinary? Why are the three quarters of HDM fanfics "get-togethers"? Let's analyze this, shall we?

Would it be because they went through a lot of places and emotions together? Would it be the brutal ending to their relationship? Is it because they have known each other for so long? By the way, for how long _have_ they known each other? Less than a year, I am sure. And I am also sure that if you go in another category on you won't find half the love stories we have in His Dark Materials. So the question remains: what makes them so special, so different from any other teenaged love story?

Whatever it is, the fact remains that Lyra and Will are preteens (or _tweens_ if you prefer). Yes, they were deeply in love, and if you ask me, they probably had intercourse. But as most of us, they would have broken up two months after the "Big Decision/Sacrifice". Why do we romanticize this story to the point that they would still love each other after fifty years without seeing one another? I am not saying that there is anything wrong with that either.

To go with what a reviewer told me the first time: another reason would be that they were brutally torn apart before it got boring. We wouldn't have glorified them so if they had lived happily ever after "à la Disney".

A third (or is it fourth?) reason might be that for both boy and girl, it was their first love. Will never had any friends, and Lyra, though always with Roger, just never loved anyone before Will. It could be considered.

Just another point, not much to do with the above, but still very written about: Lyra's pregnancy. You see, Lyra's Oxford is very much like the Victorian times (notice that Pullman's first books, the Sally Lockharts, are also set in the nineteenth century), and in those times, unmarried mothers were practically outlaws to have, uh… reproduced before marrying. Lyra would be not exception. And by outlaws I mean that most people would not have unmarried mothers work for them, and other such discrimination. Think about that before writing another fanfic on Lyra's would-be pregnancy. And anyway, we don't even have any proof that they actually might have lost their virginity.

In the end, I will have to admit, Lyra and Will's relationship is a touching one, but also one that is highly fictionalized.

Thanks for reading.

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By the way, may I suggest you to read Tiamath's extremely long but deep and insightful review. It gives some very interesting answers to this text. It's on the original essay, though. You'll have to pass by my profile.

I am _not_ a sadistic love hater.


	2. What are His Dark Materials?

Author's note: I'm bored. Time for another essay. I like questions for titles.

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What are His Dark Materials?

By E. C. Florek

What are His Dark Materials? Let me make myself clearer: what does the title mean? Sure, it sounds good and smart, but have you ever thought about it?

First theory: His is God. The entire series seems to turn around Christianity, and physics. But let's concentrate on the Christianity part. Religion is very present in every day life in Lyra's world, this goes without saying. They are under the constant supervision of some form of priest, monk, or other member of the Church, hence the moniker "Authority". Mary Malone herself, the Snake, the Temptator, used to be a sister. You see, it's all intertwined. It would be logical to include God in the title, just like physics were included with the word "Materials".

Second theory: His is Pullman. Less likely, but it's possible, since he is the author of the series. He invented the entire saga; therefore he is behind it all. Slightly far fetched, but still a possibility.

Moving on the "Dark Materials" part. Let's agree on it right now: Dark was simply put there as an adjective.

Third theory: As I said earlier, the word "Materials" could have been placed there because it gives us a link towards physics, which is one of the main themes exploited in our beloved series. **THE BARNARD-STOKES THEORY IS AN ACTUAL ONE**. Google it. I bet Pullman had to do a lot of research to get all his facts right. I saw somewhere that two scientists wrote a book about the facts in HDM (it's titled **The Science of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials**).

Fourth theory: Dark Materials... Dark Matter… See the resemblance? That would also be a perfectly logical thing to do, since the Dark Matter is the thing that holds all the worlds together, and is also known as Dust. Thinking about it, Theories Three and Four are pretty much the same.

Fifth theory: The first time I have read The Golden Compass, I had instantly taken the "Dark Materials" for planets (for my defense, I had just turned ten). It's probably false. Why did I even bother to add it?

Last theory: Well, the downer you go, the less plausible my theories get. By now, I am at the point of saying that Philip Pullman chose that name simply because it sounded clever. Some writers have been known to do so in the past, have they not?

But these are all ifs and buts and could bes. In the end, we will never know for sure what "His Dark Materials" are, unless someone actually asks the mastermind behind it all, Philip Pullman.

Did you ask him yet? Fine, I'll do it myself.

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After many, many reviews proving my stupidity, I feel the need to say this: I did not have the American, or even British version of "The Golden Compass", thus there was no such "Paradise Lost" quote on the first page. On the first page of _my_ copy, it says: Traduit de l'anglais par Jean Euch.


	3. Is Lyra's Oxford set in Victorian times?

Author's note: I couldn't find a good question title for this… Any suggestions?

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Is Lyra's Oxford set in Victorian times?

by E. C. Florek

Lyra's Oxford is set in the Victorian Times. If you do not know what that era is, pay attention in History. Or "Google" it, which ever one you prefer. There have four credible reasons to say and believe so.

First and foremost, the astonishing place religion takes in every day, in their world is quite comparable to the fervor which was felt in the previous centuries. In those times, priests controlled every institute of learning, quite like in Lyra's world. I even find the Scholars to be much like monks.

My second shred of proof is the condition of women in their world. As it clearly said in the first book (there's one key sentence for this paragraph, yet I can't find it), women in Lyra's world, such as Mrs. Coulter, could only gain power by marriage, or by joining the church as a sister. Remind you of something? What's more, there is a complete absence of feminism: women do not seem to notice or care for the inequity of the sexes. When asked by Will to wear pants, Lyra calls him crazy.

Something else, not necessarily proof, but something relevant: Pullman's immediately previous series, the Sally Lockhart's, are set in the Victorian Times. Though I do not recommend them, they are worth reading for a HDM fan for the huge similarities between Sally and Lyra.

Another detail, largely overlooked, but critical to this essay: the power of the British Empire. Now crumbled, it seems to maintain its glorious status in Lyra's world. Might I add that in her world, the United States does not have its independence, or in any case has lost the war. Although I cannot be sure, it does not seem like India has its independence either, whether it was because Gandhi was left to die of hunger or because he simply never existed.

Last but not least, have you noticed that there is a complete absence of modern technology in her world? There are no telephones, televisions, spaceships, computers, or anything else that is remotely from the twentieth century. All they have is anbaric (electric) power, zeppelins and gyropters (helicopters).

All in all, we can assume that the connections between Lyra's world and the actual era are too great to be ignored or belittled.

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I felt obligated to write this after too manyexasperating fanfics in which Lyra's Oxford was portrayed as a modern day American type of world.


	4. Is Lyra Silvertongue Sally Lockhart?

Author's note: Well, I'm pretty much running around with the same subject over and over again, but the next one will be original, I swear. Spoilers ahead for the Sally Lockhart series.

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Is Lyra Silvertongue Sally Lockhart?

by E. C. Florek

Is Lyra Silvertongue Sally Lockhart? Let me make myself clearer: is Lyra Silvertongue, main character of the His Dark Materials trilogy, a remake of Sally Lockhart, main character of the Sally Lockhart series? Let's analyze this.

First and foremost, it is only fair to say that both series are from the same writer, Philip Pullman. So it is highly likely that Lyra would have been inspired (consciously or subconsciously) from Sally. What is a little more surprising is the fact that Pullman wrote them one after the other; the first Sally Lockhart was published in 1985 to while the first HDM (Golden Compass/Northern Lights) came out in 1995.

However, the first little thing which led me to write this essay are their similarities, physically and psychologically. Both have fair hair, are beautiful and are short and thin. Both are strong-headed, "half-wild", uneducated and tough. Coincidence? Not according to this writer.

Then there are the resemblances between the plots themselves. Neither Sally nor Lyra has been raised by their respective parents: Sally by a friend of her drunken father and Lyra by the Master and Scholars of Jordan College. In "The Ruby in the Smoke", Sally meets Frederick, called Fred by all. In "The Subtle Knife", Lyra meets William, called Will by all. In "The Shadow in the Plates/of the North", Sally and Fred fall in love and mate. In "The Amber Spyglass", Lyra and Will fall in love and it is still debateable whether or not they mated. At the end of both novels, the above-mentioned lovers are separated, by death or by worlds.

To go with what a reviewer, Witch-Girl, once told me, Lyra may be how Pullman imagined Sally when the latter was younger, or vice-versa. It's entirely plausible, if you ask me.

All in all, with all these facts, it is possible for one to believe that Lyra Silvertongue has been based on Sally Lockhart.

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Damn cross-cultural titles.


End file.
